Sennheisers are really versatile enough for a variety of music - and the HD 600's are NEUTRAL.

HD 485 -> HD 600 would be a great upgrade. The HD 600's are more analytical and they have a much more sane quantity of bass. Both the HD 485's and 600's are more fun than the HD 650's I think - not that the HD 650's are boring.

Would there be a breathtaking difference? I love music, but I am hard-pressed for money.

There's difficulty in relying too heavily on audio terms, in choosing between components you haven't experienced. The bottom line is in the end everyone has to get in the trenches, to learn their own lessons and create their own truths.

Can the HD600 meet your needs? With the right choice of upstream components, there's a good chance that it will.

HD600's are like audio tofu, taking on the flavors of other ingredients. They are seasoned through the flavor of source, amplification and even genre. Mmmmmmm, delicious.

HAHA! Okay, I would be using an internal DAC with my CDP. I still haven't really got a good answer on whether it would make a noticable difference to have an external one. The Crack and Dynalo should be good amps for it (from what I have read).

I also liked the ad700s a lot. In fact, at one time I preferred them to the hd600s. That didn't last long though. The hd600s evenness and lack of grain found in the ad700s made them better for me in the end.

As an owner of the HD650's, and having noticed a few posts where users indicate preference for the HD600's, I was wondering if former or current owners of both could say what they preferred about the HD600??

Interesting read palmfish. I'm over 50 myself, but not sure about any hearing loss. I picked the hd580(essentially same as the 600) because the AKG's I was using had TOO MUCH highs. And with the 580 I think I finally found a phone with the level of highs I like(lows too). The 240DF was also too heavy on top for my taste. I think I would be disappointed in the 650 and LCD2, if the highs are even more 'polite' than the 600. The 702 definitely had over the top highs. Cymbals were overpowering and distracting from the rest of the music. Sounded out of balance...too top heavy. The 580/600 gets the highs exactly right. Of course this is totally subjective. It's like asking "how much salt and pepper do you like on your steak?"

I ended up going with the HD 600's over the HD650's. Grado 325is are currently the headphone I most listen too. I looked at the frequency graphs at Headroom and the lack of highs on the 650's really concerned me. The 600's seem to give me the balance that I'm looking for without being a total shock to my system. I should have the 600's sometime next week. If the 600's aren't enough bass, I'll give the 650's a shot. But listen to Palmfish, he's heard both. I haven't heard either...lol